Contact clip



June 21, 1932.

CONTACT CLIP 'Fild March 12, 1929 A. G. STEINMAYER I 1,864,283

Patented June 21, 1932 UNITED s'rA'rss PATENT OFFICE ALWIN G. STEINMAYER, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE ASSIGN- -MENTS, 'IO LINE MATERIAL COMPANY, OF SOUTH MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A COR- PORATION OF DELAWARE common our Application filed larch 12,

340 and which are particularly adapted for use with fuses and the like.

After fuses of this character have been in service a while the tube becomeswarped, impairing the contact between its terminals and the contact clips. Likewise in case of any slight misalignment of the fuse terminals a full contact is not available and, therefore, this invention has as one of its objects the provision of an improved means for mounting the contact clips of such fuses whereby the clips are free to move and adjust themselves with the terminals of the fuses.

Another object of'this invention resides in the novel construction of the contact clips )f fuses and the like in which thetwo U shaped members constituting the clip are connected in such a manner as to permit substantially universal movement between the members to permit the inner member of the clip to adjust itself to its respective fuse terminal.

With the above and other objects .in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides 'in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment'of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawing, I have illustratedtwo complete examples of the physical embodiment pfmy invention constructed according to the best modes I have so far devised for thepractical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a conventional expulsion fuse and its mounting with parts broken away and in section to illustrate structural details:

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken through Figure 1 on the plane of the line 22 with parts broken away and in section;

Figure 3 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation taken through Figure 4 1929. Serial No. 846,341.

on the plane of line 3-3 and illustrating a slightly modified form of my invention, and

Figure 4 is a View partly in elevation and partly in section taken through Figure 3 on the plane of line a Referring now more particularly to the 'accompanying drawing in which like numerals designate like parts throughout the several vlews, the numeral 5 represents the housing of a conventional expulsion fuse which is preferably formed of porcelain or the like and has its open front closed by a cover 6 hingedly connected with the housing, as at 7, the cover having a fuse 8 strapped thereto as at 9.-

The fuse 8 is of conventional design and consists of a tube 10 of insulating material in which the fuse element 11 is positioned and having contact terminals 12 and 13 secured thereto in spaced relation; the ends of the fuse element 11 beingelectrically connected with the terminals as is customary. As the door 6 is closed the contact terminals 12 and 13 a-reengaged with contact-clips14 4,

and 15, respectively, which, to accommodate any misalignment which may exist between "3 the terminals 12 and 13, are of novel-co n'-w-' struction. r a Each contact clip consists of a substantially U shaped member16 composed of two similar sections formed of spring metal and hava ing their adjacent ends abutting, as at 16' and fixed to an anchoring member '17 embedded in the housing bottom, by screws 18 l or the like, and a second substantially U shaped member 19formed of similar metal and disposed between the arms of the first member, being substantially floatingly connected therewith as now about to be described. The arms ofthemember 19 are directed outwardly, as at 20, and have their Y outer ends provided with slots 21 through which the adjacent ends of the member 16 are extended prior to its attachment to the anchoring member 17. a I y The arms of the fixed member 16 converge, as at 22, to engage the arms of the member 19 at a medial point to re-enforce the spring tension thereof and are then again directed outwardly at a relatively steep angle, asat 23, to a point in line with the inner portion of the arms. From this point the ends of the arms are again directed inwardly at approximately right angles with the portions 23, as at 24, to pass through the slots 21 in the ends of the member 19, the extreme ends 25 of the member 16 being flared outwardly to revent detachment of the members 16 anci 19 and to provide a guide to the entrance of the member 12. Inasmuch as the size of the slot is considerably larger than the thickness and width of the arms of the member 16 it will be readily apparent that the member 19 is permitted substantially a universal movement with respect to the fixed member 16 to accommodate any angular position of the contact teririnal engaged therewith.

The closed ends or bottoms of the members 19 have the attaching flanges 26 of terminal members 27 secured thereto, to which the ends of lead conductors 28 are attached to connect the fuse in the desired circuit.

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate a slightly mod1- fied form of my invention in which the U shaped spring tension members 29 and 30 which comprise the clip proper retain their conventional design. The members 29 and 30 are rigidly secured to the web 31 of a terminal member 32 of slightly varied construction, by means of tubular rivets 33 extending through aligned apertures in the members 29- and 30 and the web 31. The assembled clip together with its terminal member is freely movably secured to its anchor member 17 by means of screws 34 having a loose fit in the tubular rivets and having their outer threaded ends reduced to provide a shoulder 35 which limits the movement of the screws into the anchoring member 17 and provides sufiicient distance between their heads and the member 17 to ermit substantially universal movement 0 the assembled clip structure. I

rom the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawin it will bereadily apparent to those skille in the art to which an invention of the character described appertains that I provide an improved construction and mounting for contact clips of fuses and the like which permits free movement of the clips to accommodate any misalignment existing between the contact terminals of the fuse, to insure a good electrical connection between theterminals and the clips.

I claim:

1. In a contact clip, adapted to receive a terminal member, comprising a fixed member, a contact engaging member, means connecting said fixed member and said contact engaging member to permit substantially universal movement therebetween, and means formed on the fixed memberand constituting a guide for said terminal member into the entrance of the contact engaging member.

2. In a device of the character described, a contact clip adapted to receive a fuse terminal and the like comprising a fixed member having spring arms, a terminal engaging member having spring arms, and means connecting the arms of said members whereby the terminal engaging member is free to move with respect to the fixed member.

3. In a device of the character described, a contact clip adapted to receive a fuse terminal and the like, comprising a fixed U shaped member, a substantially U shaped term nal mgaging member having slots in its arms through which the arms of the fixed U shaped member extend, and means preventing the separation of the members, said slots being sufficiently large to permit relative movement between the members.

4. In a device of the character described, a contact clip adapted to receive a fuse terminal and the like comprising a fixed member having spring arms, a terminal engaging member having spaced arms with slots therein through which the arms of the fixed member extend, and said arms of the fixed member being so shaped as to prevent detachment of the second member from the first and to permit relative movement of the members with respect to each other.

5. A contact clip adaptedto receive a. terminal member and comprising, a fixed member having spring arms, a member havin spaced arms between which the termina member is engageable, means connecting the arms of the fixed member and the terminal engaging member whereby the terminal engaging member is freely movably mounted to adjust itself to the terminal member, and means whereby the spring tension of the arms of the fixed member insures intimate contact between the arms of the terminal engaging member and the terminal.

6. A contact clip adapted to receive a terminal member and comprising, a fixed member having spring arms, a member positioned between the spring arms and having spaced arms between which the terminal is en geable and in which slots are formed to oosely receive the spring arms of the fixed member whereby the terminal engaging member is free to adjust itself to the terminal, the arms of the fixed member being shaped to exert spring pressure on the arms of the terminal engaging member to insure their inti-' ing the arms of ert pressure on the arms of the first ment'oned member to insure their intimate engagement with the terminal, and means connecting the arms of said members in a manner accommodating. free relative movement therebetween to permit the first mentioned member to adjust itself to the terminal.

8. A contact clip comprising a pair of substantially U shaped members nested one within the other, theinner U shaped member having substantially parallel flat contact surfaces adapted to engage opposite fiat sides of a terminal, mounting means for the outer U shaped member, and means substantially floatingly connecting the U shaped members whereby the inner member is free to adjust itself to the terminal.

9. In a contact clip adapted to receive a terminal member comprising, a fixed member, a contact engaging member, means connecting said fixed member and said contact engaging member to permit substantially universal movement therebetween, means formed on said fixed guide for said terminal member into the entrance of the contact engaging member, and line conductor engaging means carried by the terminal engaging member.

10. In a device of the character described,

member constituting a ber having spring arms, a member having spaced arms between which the terminal member is engageable, means connecting the arms of the fixed member and the terminal engaging member whereby the terminal engaging member is freely movably mounted to adjust itself to the terminal member, means whereby the spring tension of the arms of the fixed member insures intimate contact between the arms and the terminal engaging member and conductor engaging means connected to said terminal engaging member.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto atfixed my signature.

ALI/VIN G. STEIN MAYER.

a contact clip adapted to receive a fuse terminal or the like, comprising'a fixed member having spring arms, a terminal engaging member having spring arms, means connectsaid members whereby the terminal engaging member is free to move with respect to the fixed member, and a. line engaging memberfixed to said terminal engaging member.

11. In a device of the character described, a contact clip adapted to receive a fuse terminal or the like, comprising a fixed U- shaped member, a substantially U-shaped terminal engaging member having slots in its arms through which the arms of the fixed U-shaped member extend, said slots being sufficiently large to permit relative movement of the members, means preventing the separation of the members and conductor en-' gaging means carried by the terminal en gaging member.

12. In a device of the character described, contact clips adapted to receive a fuse terminal or the like, comprising a fixed member having spring arms, a terminal engaging member having spaced arms with slots therein through which the arms of the fixed member extends, said arms of the fixed memher being so shaped as to prevent detachment of the second member from the fixed member and to permit relative movement of the members relative to each other and contact engaging means fixed to said terminal engaging member.

13. A contact clip adapted to receive-a terminal member and comprising a fixed mem- 

